October is arguably the spookiest month of the year, which makes it a good time to announce that after 21 years, Silent Hill 2 — one of the scariest games ever made — will get a full remake, exclusively on the PS5...at least for a little while. What’s more, the entire Silent Hill franchise seems poised to make a comeback.
The unveiling was done by Konami producer Motoi Okamoto, who took to the official PlayStation Blog to share the good news.
Okamoto introduced the blog post, then handed things off to Mateusz Lenart, lead designer at Bloober Team. For gamers who aren’t familiar with it, Bloober Team is a Polish developer that has made a name for itself as sort of a boutique horror game creator, with titles such as Layers of Fear, Blair Witch and The Medium.
Lenart outlines his plans for keeping the spirit of Silent Hill 2 intact, while streamlining some of the dated mechanics:
“One of our primary goals is to preserve the atmosphere that made Silent Hill 2 so exceptional, while also modernizing many aspects of the game’s overall gameplay,” he said. “We are working closely with the original creators, including [composer] Akira Yamaoka and [art director] Masahiro Ito, to ensure we’re keeping that unique Silent Hill feel intact.”
A Hill worth dying on
For those who have never played Silent Hill 2, it’s a survival/horror game that debuted on the PS2 back in 2001. The story follows James Sunderland, who receives a letter from his wife, Mary, stating that he should meet her in the eerie town of Silent Hill. This seems particularly unusual, as Mary has been dead for three months. James embarks on a terrifying quest, where he learns dark secrets about both the titular town and himself.
We don’t have too many details about the remake yet, apart from a cinematic trailer, a few screenshots and the fact that it will run on Unreal Engine 5. We also know that the Silent Hill 2 remake will start life as a PS5 console exclusive — which means it will also be available on PC. The trailer states that the console exclusivity will expire after 12 months, too, so Xbox Series X players could eventually get this one as well. It would be similar to what happened to Bloober Team’s previous game, The Medium, which started life on Xbox and later migrated to PlayStation.
The Silent Hill 2 remake is only the beginning of Bloober Team’s plans. Later on, Lenart states:
“The revival of the Silent Hill series does not end with Silent Hill 2. We have announced not just the remake of a past classic, but also multiple titles with all-new stories. The creation of new games is what truly brings the franchise back.”
It’s perhaps worth noting at this juncture that Bloober Team’s games are not universally beloved. All of its recent games have debuted to mixed reviews, with criticism leveled at everything from the gameplay, to the writing, to the overall sense of atmosphere. Whether Bloober Team is ultimately a good fit for the beleaguered Silent Hill franchise, we’ll have to wait and see.
The Silent Hill 2 remake doesn’t yet have a price or release date, but Tom’s Guide will keep you posted as we learn more about the game.
